After resigning myself to having a pro install the power line for my Icom IC-2720 radio (VHF/UHF amateur radio) in my 2003 Honda Accord, I spent Saturday pondering the position of the head unit and speaker. I knew where I wanted them to go, but it took a bit of pulling and prying to get some of the trim out of the way so I could pull the CD container at the base of the center console. Here’s how it ended up…

The rest was pretty simple, though time consuming. I used a block of wood cut to fit the bottom the CD container, then mounted, via some bent brass straps, the radio control head, with the speaker behind it. Though it might not give me the best sound, I can throw the mic into the compartment and close the door and every thing is out of sight. I ended up running the control cable and speaker wire through the back of the compartment, then underneath it, and since I had the trim removed both wires run underneath the coin pockt/power outlet cover and the shifter cover and emerge alongside the passenger seat, where the main body of the radio will reside. Below is a close up of the radio control head and the speaker.

The mic holder is, of course, made of bent coat hanger and is attached inside the glove compartment door. (Why do we call them “glove compartments” when rarely will on find actual gloves inside?) The mic holder took all of about 30 minutes to fabricate and install.

Though it didn’t turn out exactly as I had envisioned, I thnk it will work well. Particularly since I now have the control head angled towards the driver’s seat, so it should be quite visible. (The LCD on this unit doesn’t have a wide range of visibility to the side.) During the next week or so I’ll have the power line in and have to decide on an antenna mount.

Oh, also finished re-screening all the screens this weekend!